Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Chicago P.D. season 12, episode 15.
Following Med and Fire, new episodes of Chicago P.D. air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. Season 12, episode 15, premiered March 5 and ends with Voight plotting to take Reid down once and for all. The official synopsis reads: “Voight questions Deputy Chief Reid’s motives in enacting a Violence Reduction Initiative across a neighborhood where numerous gangs are fighting for territory.”
“Greater Good” also showcases a new side to Reid, revealing that his mother was killed during a bank robbery. While it’s difficult to trust the character, star Shawn Hatosy, believes his confession is genuine. The tragedy is what led Reid to law enforcement and helped shape the moral code he operates under.
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ScreenRant interviews Shawn Hatosy about diving into Reid’s past, whether the character can be redeemed, and his ending conversation with Voight in Chicago P.D. season 12, episode 15.
Hatosy Was Excited About Reid’s Storyline in Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 15
“It’s like there are these small little morsels that we get to see Reid in his element.”
ScreenRant: There were a lot of reveals this episode. What surprised you most when you were reading the script?
Shawn Hatosy: It’s been a slow reveal with Reid. The writer has been so wonderful about keeping me up to date with what’s going on and what’s going to happen, and they brought him in very slow. It’s like there are these small little morsels that we get to see Reid in his element, and we see that he’s this police kind of chief.
I was just excited to finally get something heavy to work with because there’s a big workload for Chief Reid in this episode. So I was just excited to roll up my sleeves and dig in and finally get a chance to have an opportunity to get into it with Voight.
We find out that Reid’s mom was killed in a bank robbery. How do you feel that’s impacted the officer he’s become?
Shawn Hatosy: It’s an interesting dynamic because I find Voight and Reid are so similar. They’re kind of the same kind of cop. They’re not afraid to sort of cross the line to get done what needs to be done. It was presented to me that Reid may be the antagonist for the season. So, reading it, you get all these questions.
Is this real or is he being manipulative? And my feeling was all of this is real. And that bank robber story with his mom, I think it is his origin story, and I think it is what pushed him into police work and trying to find his way. I think that, as a cop, you’re faced with decisions, and from time to time, Reid has kind of gone to the dark side. That’s my belief. I don’t know exactly what the writers have in store, but that’s what I’ve been going with.
Hatosy Unpacks Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 15’s Ending
“It’s what makes Hank go to Chapman and say, ‘We need to bring this guy down.'”
He does make an interesting point when he says violence has no ethics. Since Voight did end up using the warrant, do you think Reid impacted his perception of the situation?
Shawn Hatosy: I think so, and I think going forward, that is the center of the relationship because Reid comes to Voight from time to time throughout the rest of the season and asks him to do things that Voight isn’t necessarily comfortable doing. Reid says, “If this friendship is going to work, you’re going to have to do the things I say and whatever means necessary.”
So I think we’re going to find out as this goes on, where is Voight in all of this? Has he changed? And through these years we’ve seen him, obviously, do things that are questionable. But I think seeing Reid and Voight together, it sort of puts a mirror up and gives Voight an opportunity to decide what his legacy is going to be.
Can you break down that ending conversation between Voight and Reid in the car?
Shawn Hatosy: I really enjoyed shooting that scene. I haven’t seen it yet. It’s one of my favorite scenes that we’ve worked on just because of the cat-and-mouse game that’s going on between the two of them. Voight pretty much calls Reid out and says, “You’re using this guy to do what you need to do so that you can pretend like you’re policing, but what you’re really doing is you’re using a bad guy to do what you need.”
I just really loved the dynamic of the two in the car. We had a lot of fun shooting. It was pretty cold that day. It was a Saturday. I remember that. I’m trying to remember the exact dynamic of the scene, but I do recall the way it ended and Reid says to Voight, “You and I—we’re no different. We’re exactly the same, pretty much.” And that sums it up. And I think, pushing the story forward, it’s what makes Hank go to Chapman and say, “We need to bring this guy down.”
Hatosy Believes Reid Is Capable Of Redemption In Chicago P.D.
“I think his intentions are pure. I think they’re good.”
As you were saying, Reid is presented as the antagonist. Do you think that part of him has good intentions? Could he be redeemed?
Shawn Hatosy: One hundred percent, because I think his origin story is true. I think he suffered loss, and it’s so challenging and difficult to process what that loss feels like. I think his intentions are pure. I think they’re good.
I think that, in all walks of life, you have to decide if doing something a little bit questionable to bring down the bad guy—okay, sure we’ve done this, but this guy’s off the street, so we kind of have to look the other way. I think that he really does come from a place of good, and I hope that we continue along that path as the season unfolds.
Going off of that, is there a particular storyline that you hope the show will explore for Reid?
Shawn Hatosy: That’s a good question. As I was presented the character and these little morsels of scenes, you see it in, I believe it was Episode 8, where Reid discovers that Torres had an affair with his CI, and they all covered it up, and that’s where the beginning of this relationship with Voight began.
But there was a scene at the end of that episode where Voight comes to his office, and Reid is in there, and this idea that this guy has come onto this show where this beloved Voight, who is the boss, is in his office, and just sort of putting his feet up on his desk and drinking coffee. Every time I get a chance to explore that, like, “This isn’t your team, man. I’m your boss. This is my team!” I love going through that stuff with him and seeing how it affects his character.
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About Chicago P.D. Season 12
From Renowned Emmy Award-Winning Executive Producer Dick Wolf
“Chicago P.D.” is a riveting police drama about the men and women of the Chicago Police Department’s elite Intelligence Unit, combatting the city’s most heinous offenses – organized crime, drug trafficking, high-profile murders and beyond. At the center of “Chicago P.D.” is Sgt. Hank Voight (Jason Beghe), who is at ground zero against the war on crime in Chicago and is fiercely determined yet complicated.
The Intelligence Unit will be tested as it learns how to work efficiently with a new Deputy Chief of Police. In addition, a new member has been added to its ranks – Officer Kiana Cook, a tough patrol officer ready to prove her worth within the unit.
Check out our other One Chicago interviews:
Chicago P.D. season 12 airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
